Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Lurking predators are always coming up with new publishing scams. by Anne R. Allen I read a quote recently from an indie author who said he felt sorry for new writers who fall for scammy vanity publishers — because they obviously have no writer friends to clue them in. It is true that networking with […]
by Nate Hoffelder Self-publishing a book can get quite expensive. A good cover designer can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and the editorial costs can set you back even more. While there are many important expenses, there are also many ways to spend money and get nothing useful in return. For example, take the […]
Publishing scams target babes in the woods by Anne R. Allen I hear about new publishing scams all the time. Sometimes scammers approach me personally, but more often I hear a sad tale of woe from some newbie who has fallen for the latest con. This week I realized that almost all the victims of […]
by Anne R. Allen. Recently I’ve been seeing a bunch of ads for writing contests in my Facebook feed. Plus I’ve been getting unsolicited mass emails advertising similar competitions. Some of them look pretty legit, but I couldn’t help asking myself why. If it’s such a great contest, why do they need to use spam […]
by Anne R. Allen A lot of writers are talking about quitting Twitter and Facebook (and FB’s subsidiary, Instagram) because social media has become a “cesspool.” I hear you. Politicians, celebrities, and their mindless minions use social media to trash-talk and stir up negativity and chaos. Plus scammers and sadistic trolls lie in wait to […]
Predators are on the lookout for scammable new or discouraged writers. by Anne R. Allen As long as there are writers, there will be writing scams. Hungry predators will always be lying in wait, ready to pounce on any tender young scribe who strays from the safety of the mainstream herd. And now there are […]
Hollywood loves High Concept. by Anne R. Allen Here it is! My first “High Concept” novel. At least it’s a close to High Concept as I’m likely to write. I have to admit I’ve been a little terrified somebody might come out with a book with the same title or plot before my slow-writer self […]
Legitimate publishers, or scammy villains? How can you tell? by Anne R. Allen New writers have much to be wary of these days. New publishing scams are landing in writers’ inboxes faster than we can send out warnings. Probably the most dangerous predators for the newbie writer are phony publishers, because they can shatter dreams as […]
Writing scams are like old-time snake-oil elixirs. Beware the smooth-talking charlatan. by Anne R. Allen A couple of months ago I wrote about some of the weird writing scams that have been showing up in my email inbox. A number of my online author friends have since told me they’ve been getting them too. So […]
Amazon’s paid review crackdown may have punished “over a million” innocent customers. by Anne R. Allen My inbox has been bursting with unsolicited emails for the past few weeks. I must be on a new list of “easy prey” circulating in the the author-scamming community. Several sleazy guys with dodgy language skills have hit me […]
Cults are as dangerous now as in Savonarola’s day by Anne R. Allen Over the years I’ve written quite a bit about the dangers of author-on-author cyberbullying. A few years ago, a group I called “Mean Girls-meets-Lord of the Flies” terrorized authors on Goodreads and Amazon. A lot of us left Goodreads and never went […]
Hiring an editor too soon wastes time and money. by Anne R. Allen Learning to write books is hard. Earning money from books is even harder. So some writers figure they’ll bypass the expensive stuff like hiring an editor. This is not a good idea if you’re planning to self-publish. We are all blind to […]
Anthologies like “Equality” can also be a great way for established authors to expand their readership. by Anne R. Allen Anthologies have long been one of the best ways for new writers to get publishing credits and start building an audience. They’re also an excellent way for authors at any stage of their careers to […]
